Russia's Shiveluch Volcano, said to be one of the most active in the country, erupted on Tuesday, spewing ash across a vast swathe of the far eastern Kamchatka peninsula. Independent said that an aviation warning has been issued as a huge cloud of ash covers the sky in the region after the eruption. The volcano erupted just after midnight and reached its climax six hours later, the outlet further said. The ash cloud covered an area of 108,000 square kilometres according to the Kamchatka Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Geophysical Survey.
Normal life has been paralysed in several villages, which are covered under a carpet of grey ash almost 10 centimetres deep, the deepest in 60 years, according to news agency Reuters.
Lava flows have been pouring down the side of the volcano, melting snow and prompting a mud flow warning, said Independent.
Volcanologists issued a red code warning for flights and Russia's aviation authority Rosaviatsiya urged crews to "constantly monitor changes in meterological information".
"An extrusive eruption of the volcano continues. Ash clouds of up to 15 kilometres (49,200 feet) tall... could occur at any time. Ongoing activity could affect international and low-flying aircraft," the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) said in its red code alert notice.
The governor of Kamchatka, Vladimir Solodov, said that three villages - Kliuchy, Kozyrevsk and Mayskoye - had been the worst affected. He urged people there to stay at home and announced that schools had been closed.
"As much as possible, stay at home," Solodov said on Telegram, as per news agency AFP.
According to KVERT, Shiveluch is between 60,000 and 70,000 years old, and is one of the largest volcanoes in Kamchatka.
The Kamchatka Peninsula is sparsely populated.
The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program estimates that fewer than 12,000 people live within a 100-kilometre radius of the volcano.
